Four-Star ATH Jaden Payoute Set to Visit Virginia Tech After Offer

At the beginning of May, Jaden Payoute only had one offer from Campbell and wasn’t on the major college football recruiting radar. Over the past 5 weeks, Payoute has seen his recruitment take off with several power 5 schools offering Payoute over the past week including Virginia Tech at their Tuesday night satellite camp at Randolph-Macon College.

“I was very excited. I am familiar with Rayshard Ashby so having an opportunity to play with him was going through my mind at first,” Payoute said about his reaction to VT offering him.

Payoute is former teammates with VT LB Rayshard Ashby and even as Ashby has started his collegiate career, the two have continued to maintain a strong relationship.

“We have a very close relationship. I was with him when he committed and talk to him every week,” Payoute said on his relationship with Ashby.

That relationship with Ashby could be quite valuable for the Hokies in their pursuit of the talented L.C. Bird athlete, and may be something to keep an eye on as his recruitment continues to develop.

Payoute told us that he has VT “up there” in his recruitment after their recent offer. Payoute also told us that he does plan to take an unofficial visit to Blacksburg this weekend.

While the Hokies aren’t the only power 5 program to offer him within the past week, they are the one who will have a chance to build on their momentum this weekend with an on-campus visit.

The Hokies offered Payoute as an athlete who has the skill set to play either wide receiver, cornerback, or safety at the next level. The big reason why Payoute projects to be a talent on either side of the ball is the fact that he has great speed, very good athleticism, and great size at 6’3”. Payoute showed off his speed this past weekend winning state titles in the 100 meters and 4×100 meters at the 5A Classification.

Payoute’s meteoric rise hasn’t only been reflected on his offer list as Payoute has also become a top 150 recruit nationally according to 247 Sports, ranking second overall in the state of Virginia ahead of other top in-state talents like Devyn Ford and Sheridan Jones. It’s rare to discover four-star athletes like Payoute at a well-known program like L.C. Bird at this late of a point in the recruiting cycle, but the Hokies and others have appeared to found just that in Payoute.

Virginia Tech has found a hidden gem in Jaden Payoute and has a big opportunity this weekend to build some significant momentum in his recruitment.

Jaden Payoute in the Recruiting Rankings

Payoute is ranked as the 129th best recruit nationally, second best recruit in Virginia, and 11th best athlete in America by 247 Sports.